Media Q & A

 Interview Q & A for What’s Great About I-95: Maine to New Jersey

1. You claim to make an interstate ride interesting but a drive along, say, I-95 is notoriously boring. How can you possibly make that claim? 

There are three approaches that can make the ride more vibrant and interesting. First are the things along the road that you zip by so quickly you don’t have time to register in your mind, much less understand what they are. Most of them, travelers might not even notice. For instance, there is an enormous rock that I-95 passes in the Bronx. In the 1600’s a settler, Sarah Hutchinson, was found hiding in its crevice by local Indians and was massacred. The path of the interstate was adjusted to save this historic rock.

Second are the signs. Whether referring to an off-road attraction, an honor bestowed on a local hero or even a peculiar name, there are often stories associated with the message but the interstate driver never knows about it.

The last one holds the most mysteries and interest. These are the stories that set a region apart – something that makes it completely unique – but there are no clues along the interstate that would tip off the traveler that some fascinating, funny or unusual occurrence happened there.

In What’s Great About I-95, I uncovered great facts, anecdotes and tidbits of information that keep the interstate traveler engaged.

2. There are many travel guides on the market. What makes What’s Great About I-95 different?

It’s the only guide that tells the traveler what is unusual and interesting along the road while letting them stay up to speed and get where they’re going quickly.

Plenty of guides lure travelers off the interstate and onto more scenic “blue roads” but most of us are in a hurry to get somewhere and don’t have the luxury of spending hours meandering the back roads.

Other guides, knowing of travelers’ needs such as food, gas and rest stops, offer exit by exit information about that. They’re great! I use them myself. But only the What’s Great About… series makes the ride itself more interesting by telling about unique and fun stories and trivia. It’s a great educational tool for parents to use with their children.

3. Aren’t children today more interested in watching DVDs and playing video games while traveling?

There is a great deal of controversy today about which is better: to let your children be occupied by stimulating media or to devote your own time to interaction with them. As a mother, grandmother, and former school board member I feel that it’s best to spend more time, not less, interacting with children. My book provides the vehicle because it is interesting to adults as well as to children of all ages. Information in the book will stimulate discussions and pull facts learned in school into the real world when children actually pass near where important events happened and famous people have lived. It’s amazing to hear a teenager say, “Hey, this is where Paul Revere rode through on his way to Concord. RIGHT HERE! We just studied that in school!”

4. What gave you the idea to write a book of this kind?

The simple answer is, “curiosity.” I’ve always wondered about the things we passed on long family car trips. Then, as an adult, I was aware of some of the stories along the PA Turnpike, which I had to drive often. It occurred to me that most people had no idea about those stories, and that there were probably dozens of things that I didn’t know about that would make that turnpike drive more interesting. That was over 20 years ago. Even though at that time I considered turning the idea into a book, with a young family, (and no internet) it was a daunting task.

During another PA Turnpike trip in 2005, the idea resurfaced. This has now turned into a driving force to help other travelers enjoy that interstate trip as much as possible. That stems from motherhood; on family car trips, I always wanted my kids to experience the world outside the car window.

5. How did you do the research?

The Internet is my first line of research. And that is the fun part. From one nugget of information, if you’re patient enough and follow enough unlikely leads, some crazy fact usually surfaces. Sometimes I’m so excited about it, I call my sister just to tell her what I found!

After the bulk of the Internet research is done, it’s time to hit the road. I drive every mile of the interstate and I do it for several reasons. First, I check my facts and position of the mileposts. I look for additional items of interest that couldn’t be found on the web. Since my book is filled with full color illustrations, I often take photographs along the way.

6. This book covers I-95. Will there be more?

Oh, yes. There has such a favorable reaction to this book that one on I-80 is already in production. After that, we plan to move on to other major interstates. Readers can vote on which interstate they would like to see completed next. That’s on our web site www.interestinginterstates.com .

7. Who is your audience?

Young families with kids ages 8 – 18 would get a lot from this book. But from the feedback I’ve had from adults, this is a must-have for all ages. Everyone seems to find the format easy to use and, best of all, engaging. Most have said that the book seems to make the trip go faster and that there’s always something up ahead to look forward to, regardless of their age.

RVers and retirees also like the informative items to help hours on the road pass faster. Motorcycles groups, too, like to know what’s down the road even before they take off for the day.

One surprise for me, though, is that people who don’t travel anymore love to read the book. They say it helps them revisit some of the places they used to see or tells about places they missed.